Private Lessons
by Jesusrocks
Summary: Niles devises a way to help Daphne play the piano. One-shot.


This is just a one-shot I wrote a while back; I found it in the recesses of my flash drive and decided to post it. I can't remember the episode but it's right after Niles teaches Daphne and Roz to play the piano and Daphne fails miserably.

This isn't beta'ed but I did re-read it so any and all mistakes are completely my fault.

Disclaimer: I don't own Frasier or am associated with any part in it.

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He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as he stood outside the door. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the folder he held tenderly and could barely wait as he heard footsteps and smiled at his brother as he opened the door to his apartment.

"Hello, Niles," Frasier greeted and moved to allow him to enter. Niles nodded once at his brother in acknowledgement of him opening the door but his mind returned quickly to the reason for his visit.

"Hello, Frasier. Is Daphne around?" he asked as he took off his coat. Frasier took it and looped it over his arm.

"She's in the kitchen," he replied and barely a moment had passed before Daphne entered the room with a dish towel draped over her shoulder as she collected the plates from dinner. "Daphne, someone here for you," Frasier announced before picking up a book sitting on the table and wandering back towards his bedroom while Daphne dropped the dishtowel she was holding.

Daphne smiled, walking towards him, and held out her arms, Niles met her and welcomed her with a hug that enveloped her into his body and he smiled as she pulled him close.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Niles smiled and pulled away from the hug, running his hands over her arms.

"I was at home and I had an idea," he replied, taking her hand in his and leading her over the piano. Daphne pulled her hand from his and shook her head.

"I can't play the piano, that was made clear this afternoon," she responded but Niles shook his head again. "It's a lost cause," she tried again.

"I think we went about it the wrong way," Niles coaxed her to sit on the bench and slowly opened the lid, revealing the ivory keys. They gleamed with promise and hopefully would ring with music.

"I'm not a patient and this isn't science; I don't think there can be a 'wrong way'," Daphne argued.

"No, but you are my girlfriend. Now scoot over," he motioned with his hands. Daphne sighed but moved over and Niles sat next to her, centered at the keys. "Now," he placed his hands on her hips and picked her up, placing her between his legs, "place your hands over mine."

"What are we doing?" she asked, softly as her hands ghosted over his.

"We're playing the piano," he answered just as soft. They were whispering now and Daphne felt his breath playing against her ear and it was sending shivers up and down her spine.

Niles smiled to himself as the weight of her hands and the feeling her back pressed to his chest excited feelings in him that he never thought possible. He pressed a basic C-chord and letting gravity do its work, Daphne's fingers followed his. He moved his hands and tried a few more chords, they were dissonance but she was playing. She gasped in surprise: when she was engaged to Donny he had once told her what keys to press and when to press them. Now, as Niles started moving a little faster and her hands moved with his, the light touches that he had talked about the past week were making sense and she could feel herself learning the finger movements as his pressed against the keys.

"Follow this," Niles told her, his fingers pausing before playing a new set of chords. She couldn't tell which ones they were but they sounded nice together. After several times through he removed his hands but she continued at the same pace. It was engrained in her now, the way her fingers would move across the keys, the way it felt to press down gently without disrupting other keys, and the way her wrists would move from one chord to the other.

"I'm playing," she replied excitedly but never lost the rhythm. Niles kissed the side of her neck in response and added his own hands to the song, pressing the individual notes and completing the song. It was something she had heard Niles and his brother play before but this time it sounded romantic and floated softly through the room.

"Yes," Niles replied as his fingers danced over the keys, through and around the solid chords Daphne continued to play. "You're playing the piano."

It didn't matter that Mr. Crookshank hadn't been able to teach her, it didn't even matter than before this moment he hadn't been able to teach her. Right now, with them softly playing Tchaikovsky, it mattered. He had found a way she could play.

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Hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are always appreciated and if you feel the need to flame, please flame responsibly :)


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